Seeded fourth in 10th women’s FIVB Beach Volleyball event held in the Russian capital, Agatha and Duda won the first set 21-14 and were leading 13-8 in the second when Bieneck could not continue due to a right leg injury. It was the second international win for the Brazilians over the 19th-seeded Bieneck and Schneider, who dropped a pool play match to Agatha and Duda in the season-opening event in the United States this past February.
With their win Sunday, Agatha and Duda have reached a FIVB podium in their first three World Tour events together starting with a second-place finish to compatriots Talita Antunes and Larissa Franca in February’s Fort Lauderdale Major followed by a gold medal performance two weeks ago on home sand in Rio de Janeiro by defeatin a team from Canada for the title.
"We are very happy with this medal, because it was very hard for us in this tournament because we are Brazilian and the weather was terrible for us," said Agatha. "This is our third medal already in three tournaments together. This is amazing, we are a new team, just started five months ago and Duda is very young."
Agatha Bednarczuk (right) reaches for the Mikasa as Brazilian partner Eduarda "Duda" Lisboa follows the action
Agatha and Duda have now posted a 16-3 match mark together with two of the setbacks to Talita and Larissa, including a 2-1 (23-21, 18-21, 15-10) semi-final decision to their Brazilian rivals Saturday. Madelein Meppelink and Sophie van Gestel of The Netherlands posted a 2-0 (30-28, 21-17) win over Agatha and Duda in Fort Lauderdale during pool play.
In winning their first medal in Russia, Agatha had a fifth, two ninths and 17th-place in her previous four starts in Moscow. Playing with her Rio Olympic silver medal partner Barbara Seixas last year in the Russian capital last year, the pair placed 17th. Duda’s only other appearance in Moscow was last season where she and Elize Maia placed fifth.
While Agatha and Duda shared US$5,000 for placing third Sunday, Bieneck and Schneider split $4,000. Another new team on the 2017 FIVB circuit, the Germans finished third in April at the Xiamen Open in China. Bieneck and Schneider, who dropped a 2-1 (21-15, 19-21, 17-15) semi-final decision to Summer Ross and Brooke Sweat of the United States Saturday, have a 10-7 match mark together.
Victoria Bieneck (center) confirms with a team doctor as German partner Isabel Schneider (right) listens.
Following the Moscow stop, the FIVB World Tour takes a week off before resuming play June 15-18 for a “three-star” $150,000 event in The Netherlands at The Hague.
Highlighting the 2017 international calendar for men and women Beach Volleyball players will be the $1-million FIVB World Championships July 28 through August 6 in Vienna, Austria and the $800,000 SWATCH FIVB World Tour Finals August 23-27 in Hamburg, Germany. Overall, there are 15 men’s and 19 women’s events on the $5.335-million FIVB World Tour schedule.